1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a system and method for capturing contaminants within a disk drive. Specifically, the present invention provides strategically positioned contaminant capturing material within a disk drive to capture particles.
2. Background Art
As the use of disk drives such as hard disk drives becomes more prevalent, the need to provide reduced contamination increases. Specifically, particles and other contamination can greatly degrade the performance of the disk drive. In many cases, the contaminants come in contact with the disk itself, often inflicting serious damage. These problems are exasperated by the air stream created by the rotation of the disk. In the case of a hard disk drive, the hard disk therein commonly rotates at 7,000–12,000 RPM. The resulting air stream can cause contaminants to be constantly shuffled within the hard disk drive.
To date, attempts at capturing of contaminants within disk drives have been limited to air filters that entrap particles that become airborne within the disk drive. Unfortunately, this does not resolve the problems associated with contaminants. In both cases, contaminants are not prevented from becoming positioned between the disk and the slider/reader. Specifically, the location of the filters along a periphery of the disk drive chamber will not result in capture of contaminants that flow into the disk region of the disk drive. This is especially the case when the disk is stopped.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a system and method for capturing contaminants within a disk drive. Specifically a need exists for a contaminant capturing material to be positioned along a suspension, adjacent a slider that hovers proximate a disk within the disk drive. A further need exists for a set of porous, open celled filters having the contaminant capturing material positioned adjacent the disk, within an air stream created by a rotation of the disk.